Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week rolls into historic Great Lakes Dragaway today. This place, which rose to prominence behind the creative, wacky, and tireless work of the late Broadway Bob Metzler is cool. It is very old school, it is unapologetically rustic in some respects but damn is it cool. We love coming here. That being said, here’s a look back into the track’s history in the best way we know how to show you.
There’s nothing quite like laying eyes on some classic racing footage and thanks to a tip from Lawrence Smith we have some primo vintage 1980s drag racing action for you here. This video was taken during the 1981 Olympics of Drag Racing at Great Lakes Dragaway. The Olympics of Drag Racing stood with tall stature in the sport during that era. The NHRA ran a 12 national event season in ’81 (11 regular events and one sports nationals) and the events were spread clear across the country. Professional racers of the era filled in those open weekends with a series of match races and appearances. As you will see, the biggest names in the sport were there and ready for action at this race.
You’ll see Tom Hoover, Shirley Muldowney, Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen and loads more. You’ll also see the little pod-like tower that has served as the announcing deck and race control room at the track for a long, long, loooong time. Freiburger and I called that spot home during the love streaming broadcast of Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week just this past September. Broadway Bob Metzler who was one of the original founders of the track and who operated GLD for some 40 years promoted and grew the Olympics of Drag Racing into a premier event for his facility and for the people that came to see it.
Place yourself in the stands on this beautiful looking afternoon as some of the best looking, hardest running, and most well known drag racers on Earth thundered down this historic track. The sound my be dubbed in but it is masterfully done. Enjoy!
My video, and the sound is not dubbed.